Hello, Commodore
by freddykre
Summary: If you've read another one of my stories, We Named the Monkey Jack, then it's just a spinoff type thing of that. It takes place after the first oneish, the Commodore's maid has a crush on him oooOOOooo. NOC.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own shnizit. (haha, that was _really_ fun to write).**

**This takes place directly after PotC1 (I know, a little late). And, lets just pretend that Commodore Norrington didn't resign, and then become wanted for a hanging. That would be super.**

**I didn't really like Norrington in the first one, but in the second, he was really, really hot. I don't know how that happened, maybe it was loss of the wig, and the addition of grime and facial hair, but he looks really good. So, that was pretty much my only influence for this story. Oh, wait, also I kinda felt bad when Elizabeth didn't marry him, even though it was totally obvious she never would. But that leaves me wondering, is there any love life for dear old James? Well, in my deepest darkest thoughts, yes. And that's exactly what this is. Oh, and it was kinda influenced by my other story, cause I just made up a relationship, and I'm not sure if I'm ever gonna go back to that in my other story, so I'm just exploring it here. So if you have read my other story a lot of this will seem familiar, but it has nothing to do with pirates, or Barbossa, or anything like that. Enjoy.**

CHAPTER 1

James Norrington walked in the door of his huge estate, brushing the stray dust off of his hat before placing it on the hanger. Once inside he was greeted by his live-in maid. "Good…" she looked outside through the window, "afternoon, James. How was, er, commandeering?"

He smiled at her. "Fine, how was maiding?" He chuckled slightly at his "witty" remark.

"Ha-ha-ha, well _mine_ actually worked. I may have just taken your title and added I-N-G, but at least it ended up a real word."

He laughed again, hanging up his coat. "It may be a word, but it doesn't mean what you think it means. And I guess I'll just have to _make_ maiding a word, won't I, Lea?"

She put her hands on her hips. "And how do you suppose you go about that? Hmm?"

He paused, his mouth open willing a thought to come. "I'll find a way."

A thought finally came to Azalea. "Oh! How'd it go with _Elizabeth_? She said yes, right?"

James sat in a chair and Azalea sat across from him. "Will Turner is the man she wants to marry."

"Oh." Azalea looked down at her hands, now folded in her lap. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." James remained still, staring out the window. "You look famished, I'm going to make you soup." She stood up to walk to the kitchen. He waved his arm and she sat back down. "I know this might not sound like much coming from your lowly maid, but you deserve better anyway. You know, someone who will love you back."

He turned towards her. "Thank you. And you know I don't think of you as a maid."

"I know. A charity case, right?"

"Of course." Azalea's mouth was agape in shock. "I'm aloud to have a sense of humor too."

She closed her mouth. "Oh right, I forgot…cause you never use it."

He smiled and shook his head. "You know what, I am quite hungry, soup sounds good." Azalea smiled and walked to the kitchen. James followed her to the kitchen. "Where's Emma?" he asked, noticing his cook was gone.

Azalea got a pot down from the cupboard. "Her son has pneumonia, I told her I could cook while she was gone."

"Oh. Well send her my blessing the next time you see her."

"Yeah, OK. I was wondering if I could bring them soup tonight. I mean, because he's really sick, and she can't leave him alone for too long."

"That seems like a good idea. I'll arrange a carriage for you to take until he gets better."

Azalea smiled to herself at his hospitality. She always knew he was kind, just sometimes he failed to show it. He once told her it's because he had an image to maintain, but she knew that was rubbish. She knew he had a hard time conveying himself to other people. It was easy with Azalea because he had known her since she was a young girl. But with other people, no matter what he said or how he acted, he was always uncomfortable. He had known Elizabeth since she was young, and he thought proposing was the right thing. It turns out he didn't know her as well as he thought. "The soup will be a while, you might as well get some work done."

"I have nothing to do for the day. They sent me home devoid of responsibility."

She raised her eyebrows. "Sounds fun. So you're going to stay in here and talk with me until your soup is done?"

"I expect you're hungry, or at least you will be by then. I just assume you'll eat with me."

She nodded then turned away from James, blushing. As a 15-year-old maid it was very uncommon for someone like her to be dining with the Commodore. The fact that she had a crush on him didn't help a bit. She put the soup on the burner and turned it on. "I suppose you'll want bread, yes?" She took the bread from the basket and got ready to cut it when he gave his answer.

"Yes, thank you. Also, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about." Azalea turned towards him. "Your birthday's coming up soon…"

She looked away, her blush starting to come back. "Oh, no…"

"Your 16th."

"You really shouldn't do anything."

He smiled at her stubbornness; she did this every year. "I have to."

"You have to? Why?"

"It's my obligation."

"As…my employer?"

"As well as your guardian."

The girl turned back to the bread she was cutting. "Guardians don't have an obligation to give gifts."

"Fine then, forget everything I said, I _want_ to give you a gift. Better?"

She turned back to him with a playful sigh. "No. I can't prove an opinion wrong."

"Good. Now, I have to say I'm unsure of what to get you. You still have that wretched pirate hat, yes?"

She failed to hold back her smile. "Always will."

"As I thought. Well, I don't suppose you'd actually want a dress this year, would you?"

"If that's what you want me to have, then I guess it's time for me to mature. A dress would be wonderful."

"Perfect. I'll set up an appointment for you to be fitted."

Azalea turned back to the bread she was cutting. "Ow!" She jumped back from the counter, holding her finger in her other hand.

"What happened?" James asked, concerned.

"I cut my bloody finger." She made her way over to the sink, washcloth in hand. The cold stream of water stung her finger as she cursed silently.

James walked up next to her and took her hand in his. A shiver went down her spine. "It looks deep." He took the washcloth from her one of her hands and wrapped it around the other. Her heartbeat quickened as he held her hand in his. She looked down at her hand when he looked at her. He raised his eyebrows. "You're Ok?"

She glanced at his face before looking down at her hand. "Yes. Yes, I'm fine. It was a bit of an overreaction, sorry."

He pulled the cloth off of her hand and peeked in, before putting it back on and applying more pressure than the last time. "It's still bleeding progressively. I'd say it was a reasonable reaction." He took her free hand in his and wrapped it tightly around the cloth. "Hold it there." She nodded and he turned away from her.

Azalea walked over to the pot of soup, which was nowhere near done. "It's going to a long while. You probably will want to do something better, like reading and such."

James sat down at the small table in the center of the kitchen. "I wouldn't want to miss anymore knife-capades." He stood up suddenly. "Ah, but I should set up an appointment, as well as a carriage. Send up Emily when the soup is done, I don't want you to have to walk up that staircase more than you have to."

Azalea groaned. "My ankle is _fine_.'

"Either way I don't want you doing that again. I know how clumsy you are."

"I _promise_ to never fall down the stairs again. Now please, can I come tell you? Emily has bad knees."

"I saw you limping. And when you jumped back you must have injured your ankle further. Send Emily, I'm not going to argue about this." Without waiting for an answer from her, he walked up to his office.

Once James was out of the room, Azalea leaned back on the counter. He had so much concern in his touch, so much delicacy. She shook the thought out of her head and went back to the soup; nothing would ever happen between them.

X+X+X+X+X+X

Deep in thought, James didn't hear the knock on his door.

The door opened a crack. "James?" The door opened all the way and Azalea stepped in.

James looked up from his papers. "Didn't I tell you to send Emily up?"

"Didn't I tell you Emily has bad knees? Now, your soup is ready."

James gathered his papers together and stood up. He noticed both her hands were cloth-free as we neared her. "How is your finger doing?"

"Oh, it's fine." She put her hand down by her waist so he wouldn't hold it again, but it didn't work.

"Let me see." Azalea stared at his face as he inspected her hand. His eyebrows went up and down as her gently held her hand. "Yes, it looks better." He let go of her hand and the two continued out of the room. As they got to the top of the stairs, James turned towards Azalea. "How _did_ you manage to fall down the stairs, anyway?"

Azalea turned away blushing. "I was carrying a tray that was bigger than me and I lost my footing. Plus, I had just washed the stairs, they were wet, everything added up and I fell."

"You are the most injury-prone person I know."

"And how many people do you know, exactly?"

James turned to her with his eyebrows raised. "A lot."

Azalea nodded. "Right…that didn't work."

"How many times have I told you to think before you act?"

"Well I didn't think that applied to insults."

"Of all the things you thought it might apply to, insults weren't on your list?"

"Not in the sense that I should come up with a good way to insult someone."

He paused for a moment. "Oh right, I guess it would have been better just to tell you _not_ to insult people."

"That might have been a good way to start, yes. But you have taught me how to be a lady while dining. So, shall we?"

James nodded, taking her hand. As they neared the table Azalea let go of his hand.

"I'll get the soup."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Don't you ever want to be doted upon?"

"I'm a maid, James…plus, you already treat me like a princess."

James sat down in his chair at the dining table. "I suppose."

Azalea smiled, making her way to the kitchen. She came back out, moments later with two trays in her hands. "One for you." She set the tray down in front of James. "And one for me." She set the other tray in front of an empty seat before sitting down. "OK, now you know as well as I do that I'm not a very good cook, so if it's horrible, don't pretend it's not."

"Of course I won't…besides, you'll probably be able to tell by my expression."

She glared at him softly before looking down to hide the smile on her face, as well as her reddening cheeks. The two spent the rest of the dinner in silence, speaking every once in a while to discuss the weather and such. When dinner ended, Azalea cleared their plates and continued on to her other duties. When night came she settled into bed preparing herself for yet another day with her long-time crush.

**There, chapter one's done. I always feel weird when I end a chapter, probably cause everyone's about to read it…well, not every, maybe a couple people if I'm lucky. PLEASE REVIW. If you want a bit more insight into their relationship, you could read We Named the Monkey Jack, my other story. It has some background info on them…and I like reviews. . But it's not Jamlea, it's Barlea. Yeah, I'm cool, I already gave them mix-names.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, that was a long wait for chapter 2. Sorry for all of you who are reading this. And it's going to be a pretty short chapter as well. I WANT MORE REVIEWS. Just kidding, only kinda not…disclaimer's the same.**

CHAPTER 2

Azalea awoke early, the alarm in her head just as antsy as her. She got dressed quickly. She had no idea why today—at least in her mind—was so different than every other day. Maybe it had something to do with the closeness she had with James; romantic or not, he got quite close to her. She wanted so badly for that to become more common in their daily routine…but she knew it never would. She was nothing but a humble maid for a great man…a caring man. No, she had to stop thinking about him. She was driving herself crazy. She ran a comb through her knotted hair, wincing every few seconds. It was amazing how fast your hair could get tangled when it was long. Finally, after straining for much too long in her opinion, her hair was brushed. She skipped downstairs in a, somehow, merry mood to get breakfast started. She stopped in her tracks, seeing James sitting at the table, quill in hand. She fumbled to form words as he turned his attention towards her. "What are you doing up already? No one woke you."

"Am I not allowed to awake by myself?"

"I suppose…"

"Very well then." He stood up from his papers and walked towards Azalea. "I was about to get Emily to wake you up."

"Why?"

"In about," he glanced at his pocket watch, "20 minutes I'm going to escort you to a dress fitting."

Her eyes widened. "So soon?" James just nodded. "Well, what's it like?"

He laughed, obviously amused by her false worries. "I assure you, it's fine. Now, if you're hungry, eat quickly because we should leave soon."

"No, it's fine. We can leave now."

A smile crept on his face. "You're anxious, aren't you?"

Azalea looked down, blushing. "No."

"You're a horrible liar." He turned around to gather his papers and Azalea didn't hesitate to stick her tongue out at him. "I saw that."

"What, how?"

"You're obvious, and you just admitted to it."

She paused for a moment. "Fine, let's go."

"Patience, darling." Azalea looked away, desperate to hide her crimson cheeks. He turned back to her, ignoring the blush and assuming it had something to do with her nervousness. "The carriage should be here by now." He held his arm out for Azalea. She looked at it, confused. He smiled at her naïveté. "Azalea, take my arm."

"Oh, right." She sheepishly took his arm, and proceeded to walk to the carriage that was indeed right outside of his estate. The two stepped into the carriage, James with confidence and Azalea with reddened cheeks. James' fixed gaze wasn't helping either.

They arrived at the dress parlor after what Azalea mistook as an eternity. He helped her out of the carriage and guided her into the shop. Once inside the two women that had been chatting away endlessly at the counter turned towards James and perked up. "Why hello Commodore," the older one said smiling shamelessly.

He smiled back, either oblivious to their intentions or just enjoying the attention. "Hello Mrs. Bennet. Miss Bennet. This is Azalea Smith; she's here for measurements. She's, for some reason, nervous so be nice."

The older woman, Mrs. Bennet smiled again showing her full set of rotted teeth. "Don't worry, we'll take real good care of her."

Azalea looked back and James, eyes wide. He just waved her off, amazed at her sudden childishness. Sure, she had always been a bit childish—she was still a child after all—but never like that. She had always been fairly confident trying new things, how could getting fitted for a _dress_ scare her? But really, what more could he expect from her, she was a teenaged girl. They were puzzles by themselves, even more so when dresses and carriages were added. She emerged minutes later, how many he wasn't sure since time passed so rapidly when he was thinking.

He stood up when she and the other two women entered the room. "How was it?"

Azalea thought for a moment. "Easy."

The younger woman, Miss Bennet, smiled. "See, I told you we'd take good care."

James smiled. "Thank you Miss Bennet. Do you think you can have the dress ready in two weeks."

Mrs. Bennet pushed in front of her daughter. "Of _course_. We might need to call her in to see how certain parts fit, though."

James glanced at Azalea to make sure there was no pent up fear. She just nodded at the two women, assuring them she was fine with it. James shrugged at her sudden change of heart; at least it was for the better. "OK. We'll be in touch. Have a good day."

"Oh, you as well Commodore," the younger woman replied quickly.

Azalea looked around, wondering if she should say something as well, or if something should be said to her first. Nothing was said and James pulled lightly on her arm to lead her out of the shop. They got back into the carriage and Azalea sat down smiling. "They were nice."

James raised his eyebrows. "Really? I though they would only confirm your fears."

"Don't be mean, they're nice women."

"Yes they're nice but they're a bit…" When he failed to come up with the right word Azalea quickly stepped in.

"They're friendly."

"Right. Friendly."

"They are!"

James leaned his head back against his seat. "OK, I'll admit they _seem_ friendly when you first meet them, but they grow on you."

Azalea giggled. "They may grow on _you_ but they're not going to grow on me."

He wrinkled his eyebrows. "Why not?"

"Cause they don't have a crush on me. They _are_ nice people, and I know you know that, but you just can't get past the fact they the fawn after you."

"They do not _fawn_."

She rolled her eyes. "OK, how would you describe it?"

He struggled to find a word. "I don't know…"

"See, 'fawn' is the only way to describe it. You should just learn not to argue with me because I'm always going to be right."

"Oh _are_ you?"

"Yes. I thought you knew by now."

He shook his head smiling. "It must have slipped my mind."

"Silly old man."

"Oh, I'm old now?"

"I actually didn't mean to say that, that slipped."

"You're in so much trouble."

X+X+X+X+X+X

Azalea lay on her stomach with her quill and paper while Emily sat next to her. "OK, how tall is your dream person?"

Emily giggled nervously. "Tall."

Azalea raised her eyebrows. "Tall. OK. Tall and thin…tall and muscly?" Emily blushed and nodded. "OK." Azalea started sketching stopping every minute to ask about details. She finally finished and showed the drawing to Emily. "Meet your new man." The two women giggled falling on the bed.

"What's going on here?"

The two girls shot up, Azalea holding the sketchpad behind her back. "Nothing."

Emily glanced at Azalea then turned to James. "I'll be going now." She curtsied and left the room.

James nodded at Azalea's hands behind her back. "What's that?"

Azalea took a few steps back. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" She nodded. He held his hand out and she sighed and handed him the sketchpad. "Are you drawing pictures of me now?" he joked.

"Just having a little fun." The doorbell rang. "I'll go get that." She scurried past James to get the door. He sat back on the bed and examined the sketchbook; the drawings really were very good. When he was told news of a guest from Emily he tucked the book in his pocket and followed her down the stairs.

**Like I said, short chapter (way shorter than I would have wanted) but I felt I was taking way to long to get this chapter out. I don't know, this story just doesn't want to be written or something.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Did I have a disclaimer before? I don't remember. Whatever, disclaimer's the same. And I shall try to be more accurate with the time period. But I might be a little lax on the vocabulary. PS, I'm not sure what kind of make-up they had back then, or if they called it that even, but don't be too bugged by it.**

CHAPTER 3

The two weeks passed quickly, though uneventfully. James had failed to ask about the drawings; he had a lot on his mind with his new promotion. Azalea was relieved. That was something she liked to keep to herself. Well, herself and Emily. But Emily was like a mother to her. She was also her best friend. The point is, she obviously didn't mind sharing things like that with her. James, however, was different. Though she had known him for the same amount of time she had known Emily, they obviously had a much different relationship. For one thing she was ecstatic because of the fact they had any relationship whatsoever, while James would surely think she was being childish if he knew. That, plus the fact that he was completely devoted to his work. Because the truth is, Azalea _was_ rather childish, and she didn't fancy working all the time. She thought it was silly James spent all of his time working. He was still young, wasn't he? Young enough to have fun, at least.

There was a rap on Azalea's door, interrupting her thoughts. She quickly shot to her feet from her previous position, flat on her stomach on her bed. "Yes?" she asked with a slight stutter.

James walked into to the room. "Your dress is ready."

X+X+X+X+X+X

"Stop fiddling your leg."

Azalea tried for the hundredth to keep her leg still. "I'm sorry. I'm just…"

"Nervous?"

"Not nervous…almost excited."

"Good." He sat back, his leg now fiddling.

"Are _you_ nervous?" Azalea asked, surprised by the sudden shift in tension.

"Well I picked the dress. I can't help it."

A small smile grew on Azalea's face. "Oh." _He picked a dress for_ meHE_ picked a dress for _ME She kept her face calm. "I'm sure I'll love it."

"I hope so."

_He hopes so! That means he cares what I think!_ She smiled, assuring him all was well, and turned her head to peer out the small window. They arrived at the dress parlor after what seemed like a much shorter time now that Azalea was lost in her thoughts. When she stepped inside the two women greeted her warmly.

"Miss Smith! So nice to see you! You're going to love this dress. Come come, hurry up."

Azalea smiled, looked back at James then hopped over to the seamstresses. "I'm hurrying." The three disappeared into the back room, giggling and chatting away.

James sat down on a bench in the shop listening to Azalea's grunts and sudden pained squeals. At one point he could Mrs. Bennet say "Quit batting that arm before I break it off." He could hear less shuffling on the other side of the door after that. A few moments later they reappeared, the two Bennets flaunting about Azalea. James stood as they entered the room.

Azalea smiled bashfully. "So, how is it? I look horrible, don't I?" James didn't say anything; he just stood looking at her. "Well don't stare. Do I look horrid?"

"You look amazing."

Her smile faded and her face got more serious. She smiled at him politely, holding back the feelings erupting inside.

"Doesn't she?" Mrs. Bennet asked enthusiastically. James turned towards her, though keeping his eyes on Azalea.

"Yes." James pried his eyes away from Azalea to turn to look at her. "Should I pay…now?"

The younger Bennet noticed the tension between the two and stepped in. "You can pay later. We have a lot of work to do."

Mrs. Bennet caught on less-than-quickly. "Right. Work."

James nodded, finally snapping out of his dreamy state. "Right." He turned to Azalea. "We should be going." He gave her his arm and she took it shyly. She turned back to the two women to see them giggling wildly and pointing at her and James. She smiled nervously at the two of them and walked out the door. James helped her into the carriage and the two sat silently for the ride home.

X+X+X+X+X+X

"Azalea! Look at you! All dressed up, you look amazing." Emily ran over to Azalea to inspect her more closely. "I never thought the day would come when I would see you like this."

Azalea smiled at her friend. "Neither did I."

Emily took her hands. "The event doesn't start for another hour; let's go do your make-up."

Azalea smiled and followed Emily up to her room. She sat on the bed, all smiles. "So, what's this 'event' about anyway?"

Emily sat on the bed next to her. "Well, it's just a gathering, not much point to it. But you're getting older…and the commodore thought it might be nice if you met more people."

Her smile faded. "Oh."

Emily took her hands. "Azalea, you're a beautiful girl. He just doesn't want to see you with someone undeserving."

"Right." Emily sighed at Azalea's dismay. "Well, I want to look good for everyone." She plastered on a fake smile. "How about we start with the make-up?"

Emily smiled. "Sounds good." An hour later Emily led Azalea down the stairs as Azalea presented the look no one had ever seen. James stood mesmerized at the bottom of the stairs.

"Azalea?"

She giggled. "Yes it's me."

James didn't reply. He just stood staring one again. He couldn't help it. Was this really the same girl he took in 6 years before?

Emily walked Azalea down towards James. "I believe it's time for you two to be going, don't you?"

James once again snapped out of his trance, grateful for Emily's interruption.

"Yes, I believe it is. Azalea." He held out his arm and Azalea took it giddily. When Emily first told her _why_ she was going to the event she felt dreadful. She thought James wanted to drive her away. But then she remembered the way he looked at her. His eyes filled with such…well she didn't know exactly what, but she wanted to find out. She would find out tonight. She would chat with the men that were introduced to her, but when asked to do anything more serious, she would politely decline. James would be so proud of her.

The two stepped into the carriage and Azalea sat, barely able to keep still. James smiled at her. "Excited?"

She smiled back. "Very."

"I'm glad. There are some people who are just as excited to meet you."

X+X+X+X+X+X

The moment Azalea walked through the door of the governor's mansion she was greeted by the man himself.

"Miss Smith? Is that you?"

How did he remember her? They only ever met when she greeted him at the door, and she was always wearing rags. Even so, the attention was wonderful. She blushed looking up at the governor. "Yes."

"You look marvelous. It's wonderful to see you again."

"Oh yes, you as well."

"Azalea." Azalea turned around to find James standing with another man. She had wondered where he had been off to. "There's someone I'd like you to meet. This is Lieutenant Gillette."

She stuck out her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Gillette took her hand softly and brought it to his lips. "It's a pleasure." Azalea blushed and took her hand back. "The Commodore has told me all about you."

She turned to James. "Has he?"

"We're not here to talk about me. I shouldn't even be here, I'm meant to be talking to Mr. Mercer. But you two should carry on." With that James was gone and Governor Swann had left moments before, which left Gillette and Azalea by themselves.

"So," Gillette turned back towards Azalea, "why haven't I seen you before?"

"You probably have, you just didn't notice me."

"That seems highly unlikely, not to notice someone as striking as yourself."

Her blush deepened. She promised herself nothing would happen with any of the men she met that night, but that didn't mean she couldn't be amused. "That's very flattering." She was about to reject his attempts to get close to her when she noticed James speaking to a woman across the room. They seemed to be more than acquaintances. She turned back to Gillette and smiled her brightest. "I can't imagine why someone like you would need to be introduced. You seem so…self sufficient."

Gillette held out his arm. "Shall we go somewhere a little less busy?"

Azalea took it. "I'd love to."

X+X+X+X+X+X

James looked across the room to see Azalea and Gillette chatting away. It was a good thing, he wanted them to get along. So why this rotten feeling in his stomach? He looked back to find the two of them gone. He excused himself from the conversation he was having with the obnoxious woman who claimed to know him from years ago, and set off to find Azalea. He turned down endless hallways before a familiar voice rang through his head.

"Should we be back here? I mean, this is the governor's—"

Her voice was suddenly silenced by a soft whisper. "Shh. Let's just enjoy the moment."

"Lieutenant?"

James slowly turned the corner to find Gillette leaning into Azalea, his hands on her shoulders. He paused, half-hidden from view, waiting to see how it all played out. Azalea's hands moved to his chest. James' heart suddenly felt ripped in two. Why was seeing her with another man affecting him so much? He turned away, unable to bear the sight. He was about to return to the party when he heard a complaint rush from Azalea's lips.

"Stop. Stop!"

James turned around and rushed back towards them. "Get your hands off of her!" Gillette jumped back in surprise. James pushed past him to Azalea and took her hands. "Are you OK?" No reply came from her. He turned towards Gillette. "I highly suggest you leave before my pity towards you runs dry."

Gillette nodded slightly before hurrying away.

James turned his attention back to Azalea. Her hands were cold in his. They shook if he didn't hold them tight enough. He draped his coat over her shoulders and quickly took her hands again. He looked into her eyes and didn't look away. She looked back feeling a slight comfort. All time seemed to stand still. The two of them just stood there, frozen.

A surprised voice broke the spell. "Commodore? What are you and Miss Smith doing in here?"

Their eyes broke contact and Azalea ran out of the room. James gave Governor Swann a pleading look and quickly left the room to follow Azalea. He scanned the main room and found no traces of her. He hurried through the mansion searching for her. He finally found her in an empty hallway, sitting still against a wall. James walked over quietly and knelt beside her.

"Azalea?" She didn't respond. "What happened?" Still no response. "Did he hurt you?"

She kept her eyes pointed straight ahead and avoided his question with her own. "Do you ever just want to…let everything go? Crawl away, into your own world?"

"More often than you think."

She turned to face him, her eyes filled with sadness. "She didn't deserve you."

At that moment all restraint flew from James' head. He softly cupped Azalea's face and pulled her in for a slow, sensual kiss. She melted into his arms. All memory of what had happened moments before flooded out of Azalea's head. All she could think about was the man who was holding her so gently, yet so powerfully. All she could think about was the man she loved.

**Chapter 3 is finally done, YAY! That's all, please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

Azalea had no idea how much time had passed as she and James sat motionless on the floor. She didn't care either. As long as she had James and his soft whispers, promising her everything would be all right, everything would. As the noise in the other room quieted down, James suggested they get going. Azalea reluctantly agreed. She didn't want to leave that perfect moment, but she knew it had to end sometime. James thanked Governor Swann for a wonderful event, not that he would know what it was like, and got to his carriage as quickly as possible. The two of them didn't sit across from each other this time. That sat together, and quite closely I might add. Azalea had never felt more comfortable with anyone in her life. The two of them walked into the house at a further distance from each other so as not to arouse suspicion from Emily, who really was quite nosy. Emily followed Azalea to her room without being asked, and helped her out of the dress that never seemed to end. Emily found a rip in the dress but didn't ask questions seeing how exhausted Azalea was. Azalea slipped into a nightgown (she would wear those) and fell fast asleep.

Morning came a lot quicker than Azalea would have wanted. Instead of the warm body she dreamt she'd wake up to, she was awaken by a seemingly angry whisper and cold hands on her shoulders. "Azalea. Azalea! It's nearly noon, I can't believe you're still in bed." Azalea lifted her head to peer at her friend but quickly collapsed back into her pillow. "Bloody hell Azalea, get up. The Commodore wants to speak with you."

Azalea was up and changed in less than a minute. "Where is he?"

"Oh wait. My mistake, I _meant_ to say The Commodore is asleep as well, but won't be for long and I don't think he'll be too happy to see one of his maids asleep at noon."

Azalea glared tiredly. "I'll fix breakfast." She left the room in a huff, leaving behind her grinning friend. It turned out what Emily said about James waking up soon was true. Only he woke up much sooner than Azalea expected. The two of them collided in the hall. Azalea mumbled an apology and hurried away, leaving James dumfounded.

Azalea got down to the kitchen and let out a surprised squeal. How had James gotten there so quickly? He took a step towards her, looking down at her seriously. "Azalea, I need to talk to you."

"Um…" How was she supposed to respond to that? She couldn't remember. She shouldn't be required to agree to serious conversations about spontaneous kisses when she woke up only moments before. The response finally popped into her head. "Oh. OK." That was simple enough.

He took her hand and led her into the living room. Why they couldn't talk in the kitchen, Azalea wasn't sure. Two couches were set up in an L shape, and they each sat on one couch, so they were as close as possible without being…too close. James started off. "About last night—"

"If you want to completely disregard it, I understand."

"No."

Azalea raised her eyebrows. "No?"

"Quite the opposite, in fact. Last night was…" He sighed. "At a point I was quite in love with Elizabeth. After her I doubted I would ever find love again. Last night proved that dreadful thought wrong." Azalea smiled bashfully. James took her hands in his. "I want it to stay that way." The distance between them grew smaller as their lips began to meet. All it took was one noisy maid to wake her up.

"You looked like you were having a good dream."

Azalea looked up and noticed her surrounding, sighing. "I was." She knew that conversation had gone too well. Only in her dreams…

"You should get up. The Commodore will be up soon."

Azalea was sure about that. She dressed quickly so she wouldn't run into him. Whatever conversation she would have with him would never go as well as the one in her dream. She rushed down the hall to avoid him, but her attempts were in vain. Just like in her dream, the two collided. Only this time it was both of them who mumbled an apology and hurried off.

X+X+X+X+X+X

"Do you want to help me out, possibly?"

Azalea snapped back into reality and looked over at Emily, who was alone with a large pile of laundry. "Oh, yeah. Sorry." She picked up a dirty shirt and scrubbed at it absently.

Emily noticed the distant look on Azalea's face. "Something on your mind?"

She thought for a moment. How could she tell her without just…telling her? She sighed. "Last night something happened to me. Well, nothing really 'happened' but. OK, let me start over. There was a man—well…yeah—well—"

"Just spit it out already!"

"I kissed James," she blurted. Wow, that sounded good out loud.

Emily's eyes widened. "You did what now?"

"Well actually he kissed me. But I kissed him back."

Emily dropped the clothes in her hand. "Wait, wait, wait, how did this happen?"

Azalea frowned. "You seem upset."

Her face softened. "I'm not upset. I just want to know. How did this happen?"

Azalea shook her head. "You're angry. I know when you're angry, and you're angry now."

She sighed. "I'm not angry I'm just…I'm concerned."

"Why? Do you have a problem with James and I?"

"No, it's not that." She put a hand on Azalea's knee in a maternal way. "You're young. You can't be sure what you want. And Commodore Norrington just had his heart broken."

Azalea looked hurt. "So you think that what James and I shared last was untrue?"

"No, no, no. I…" She thought for a moment, trying to find the right words. She didn't want to hurt Azalea, after all. She shook her head, giving up. "Forget I said anything. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Azalea smiled, "I won't."

Emily smiled back, though her heart was not in her gesture. Azalea was too happy to notice.

X+X+X+X+X+X

"Commodore Norrington." James turned around to face the governor who was now addressing to him. "May I speak to you about something?"

"Absolutely."

"Brilliant." He led James into a small room for which James did not know the purpose. The two stood awkwardly, neither of them comfortable enough to sit. "As you know, Miss Smith is quite close to my heart." James nodded. Governor Swann and Azalea had grown considerably close over the years, Azalea almost like a second daughter to him. But you wouldn't guess that from the way he spoke about her in public. Always using her last name and never mentioning anything personal. He continued. "I'm quite curious as to what happened last night. She did not look very happy; neither did you."

"It's…hard to explain."

"Well, do your best."

James sighed. This fatherly platform Governor Swann was taking was beginning to irritate him. "Azalea wasn't being treated properly, I intervened…we somehow kissed." The governor opened his mouth to speak but was stopped short. "I'm in love with Azalea." _Did I really just say that?_

His eyebrows rose. "Does she know this?"

James shook his head. "No…I haven't told her. I saw her just this morning but I was too nervous to say anything. She seemed quite nervous as well. I spent the entire night trying to think of something to say…nothing came."

Governor Swann smiled like he had all of the knowledge in the world. "Commodore, I've seen the way she looks at you. I have a feeling that whatever you say will sound like poetry in her ears."

"I just want it to be perfect." He stood up, an objective now hammered in his mind. He turned back to the governor. "If for some reason you see her before I do, please don't say anything."

His zipped his mouth shut. "Not a word."

James smiled, hurrying out of his room to get back to his estate, so he could talk to the woman he loved.

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

The Commodore rushed frantically through his estate searching for his young maid. Emily was the only person he could find. "Where's Azalea?"

"She's out buying groceries," she replied with nonchalance

"Do you know when she'll be back?"

Emily was silent.

"Emily?"

"Don't do this to her."

James grew still, obviously offended. "Do what?"

"She's young. She's vulnerable. Don't hurt her."

He straightened his shoulders. "I don't know what's possessing you to stay these things, but I'd advise whatever is to stop."

"My apologies sir." She stepped back and James passed by swiftly. She sat down on one of the chairs, shaking her head lightly. "She has to know."

X+X+X+X+X+X

Azalea was in the market, debating weather she should purchase a large piece of bread, with a fair amount of mold, or a small, mold-free piece, when a warm voice sounded behind her.

"Azalea."

It sent chills down her spine. She turned around and was instantly succumbed by soft lips. She blushed slightly as he pulled away, setting a hand to her tingling lips.

James smiled nervously as well. "I was going to muster up the courage to talk to you, but decided kissing you would involve less stuttering."

Azalea's smiled brightened as she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. "I was hoping our next encounter would go something like this."

The commodore smiled before glancing around, noticing the few people that were beginning to stare. He blushed slightly before grabbing the basket from Azalea's hands, and escorting her back to the carriage he had taken to the market.

On the ride back to James' estate, Azalea would peer out the window, then glance at James to see him staring back every time. "What," she finally asked with a smile on her face.

"You're beautiful," he said simply. She blushed and muttered some words in protest. "No, I'm being truthful. I don't know when you changed from a skinny little girl to a beautiful woman, but…I notice now."

_It's about time_, she thought, though remained smiling modestly on the outside. "Wh—well, what I mean is…what made you notice?"

James thought fondly for a moment, as if reviewing what it was rather than thinking back. "I suppose it's when I saw you in your dress. Not to be crude, but before that I always just saw you as a little girl."

"Well," Azalea said with a small smile, "I must admit that I didn't think much of you at first either. You always seemed like an old man to me. Obviously, my thoughts towards you have changed since then…"

James smirked, "I would hope so." He was quiet once again, only staring at Azalea. His smile slowly faded as he straightened in his seat. "I…I must tell you something."

"Yes?" Azalea asked, giving James her full attention.

"Many years ago…" James paused, gathering his thoughts, when there was a large bump and the carriage nearly tipped over.

James, a bit angry at the carriage driver, helped Azalea, shaking slightly, out of the carriage. "I told you I hate those things…" she muttered to James as he went up to talk to the driver.

"My apologies, Commodore. It's not everyday we lose a wheel. I suppose the road was rougher than I expected and I took it a bit too fast…" James stopped listening. He walked back to Azalea and held her shaking hands.

"Are you OK?" he asked, taking her hands.

"Oh yes, I'm fine…just a bit rattled."

"Yes, I expect you would be," he said earnestly. He still held her hands as he looked at his surroundings. "Well…we're not far from my estate…would you like to just walk?"

Azalea glanced at the unreliable carriage. "Yes, that sounds good."

And so they began to walk. The breeze wrapped around them, causing them to subconsciously step closer together for warmth. Neither of them spoke much. Walking in each other's presence was enough.

Once they reached Norrington's estate, Azalea, who was becoming increasingly nervous with every minute she spent by James' side, made an excuse and quickly ran off to see Emily. She was ready to retell every boring moment of walking home, every tiny movement made by either she or James in extreme detail, and with equal enthusiasm. But once she finally found Emily (in her room, obviously sulking about something), her enthusiasm seemed to falter.

"Emily, it was amazing—Emily? Are you OK?"

"Azalea…" Emily said slowly. "I must…I must tell you something about James."

Azalea nodded, sitting down next to Emily, giving her all of her attention.

"I think you…being with the Commodore is not the best idea."

"Why not?"

Emily sighed, and leaned back in her seat, as though ready to explain a long story. "About the time you moved in here, James met a woman, Meredith. Well, more a girl, but that's beside the point. They quickly fell in love…or what I thought was love. We all thought it was love, were all very excited for them. You were too. Do you remember?" She continued without a response. "They were to be married, just as soon as she had their child. It was quite unusual to be married after the birth of a child, but James insisted they did. So the birth came and a few days later she was gone. The wedding had been called off, obviously, and there was no sign of Meredith. James soon claimed that she was deceiving him the whole time. He claimed he was seduced by her."

The younger maid shook her head, glaring at her friend. "You're lying."

"Azalea, I'm telling the truth! Don't you remember plans for a wedding? You wouldn't stop talking about it. You were, of course devastated when you found it wasn't happening."

Remembrance shown in Azalea's eyes. She looked as though she were going to believe everything the older maid had told her, before she shook the thought out of her head. "I don't believe you. You just don't like the fact that I'm getting attention. You hate me for it. Enough to ruin my chances for happiness." The young maid stormed out of the room, leaving an almost shameful look on Emily's face.

**REALLY SHORT! I'm sorry, I needed to get it out. Please Review.**


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